Expressing strong concern over the rising death toll of children in Malkangiri due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Swami Agnivesh here said the Centre, the State Government and the judiciary should take urgent action to contain the menace.
In a Press statement, Swami Agnivesh said, “I had raised the issue of poor Adivasi children dying of Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri with President Pranab Mukherjee on November 12. The President assured me to take it up with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.”
Agnivesh further said he also called on sitting Judge of Supreme Court, Justice Sharad Bobde if he could suo–moto take cognizance of the ongoing crisis of deaths due to negligence and the latter advised him to get a case filed in the Orissa High Court. It was duly filed, but sadly no action followed.
The situation is as grim as earlier, he said, adding that Odisha’s Rutuparna Mohanty, a human rights lawyer, has visited Malkangiri and prepared a report.